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Arts
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Scents
of Proportion: Homemade Soaps ... when I wasn't there,
people would ask:
The
Artist That kind of conscientious approach seems to characterize much of Lynne's undertakings. ... Some three years ago, Lynne walked into a small shop that sold, among other things, handmade soaps. She likes making things, and she likes scents and the lather of handmade soaps, so she thought she might give it a try. She took a local shop class and quickly found that "it was a little more complicated" than she first imagined. ...
It was a while, then, between that first thought and Lynne's first batch. In the interim, she read and read. Finally, she tried her hand at it, on her own. "My first batch turned out," she recalls. "I was amazed." From that point on, the kitchen of Lynne's Richmond home, where she lives with husband, John, and "a small tribe" of children, became her "workshop."
At first, Lynne says, she started making soap as a hobby, mostly for her own use and for gifts for friends and family. But, about a year after that first batch, she decided to take her soaps to the local Richmond Farmers Market. "I guess I went about six times that year," Lynn recalls. In fact, that's how she came to be known by her other known alias. "People would come to the market on the weeks when I wasn't there. I guess they must have heard about me. But when I wasn't there, people would ask: 'Where's the Soap Lady?'" The nickname is an apt one. As we talked, it became apparent that Lynne not only learned the chemistry and the process, she also learned about the history of soap-making. "In the old days," she says. "People used to use wood ash and lard. It wasn't easy, either; it was hard to control. Obviously, not every batch of wood ash or every batch of lard was exactly the same. ... But then, during World War II, they started making petroleum-based soaps."
"I think it was because they actually had drives to gather the lard and other fats," her husband, John, who is something of a history buff, offers. "They used to gather the lard, I think, because they used it somehow for making ammunition." ... Lynne really likes her soaps. "Nowadays," she says. "The large soap manufacturers don't actually make soap. They're really using detergents." That, in part, was what fueled Lynne's interest. "The fact that soap can be made from natural ingredients is part of what interested me. ... Your skin is an organ," she adds, with some conviction. "It breathes. So it matters what you put on it." ... The Process "There's a little chemistry involved," she says. She then goes on to detail what's involved, noting the importance of understanding alkalis ... getting the right proportion of the oxides often used for coloring ... how to get water and oil to mix properly ... learning about essential oils and nut butters ... and the critical part played by temperature. "The oil and water have to be the same temperature, but they cool at different rates, so you really have to watch things pretty closely," she notes.
She uses nothing but pure vegetable oils, including olive, coconut, and palm oils. She also sometimes add nut butters, including mango, macadamia, African shea, and the Hawaiian kukui. And then there's the time the process takes. ... "If everything goes well, I can usually do a batch -- about 15 bars -- in a couple of hours," she offers. "But that's just the beginning." What comes next is a long and involved process of curing. According to Lynne, the first step is to wrap the mold in a blanket and let it sit for 24 hours to set. During this stage, the mixture actually re-heats itself and starts to harden. From there, the mold goes into the freezer to make removing it from the mold easier. That comes another 24 hours later. The block can then be cut into bars. But that still leaves it two weeks away from being ready. "You have to let it air-cure for two weeks," Lynne notes. "That allows enough time to let whatever alkalis may be left to evaporate." Of course, that assumes a pretty straightforward batch. If there's marbling or "cobblestone" involved, then there's also the added task and time for mixing the oxides or grating the multi-colored chunks that give the cobblestone its distinctive appearance. The RESULTS:
In addition to all this, Lynne's soaps make use of a wide variety of wonderful scents, introduced by the addition of natural essential oils. Among her choices? Lavender, sandalwood, lemon, rose, geranium, evening primrose, and patchouli. "I don't like to use a lot," Lynne notes. "Otherwise the scent can become overpowering." In addition, Lynne also makes use of the decorative addition of natural herbs and petals, like chamomile, lavender, rose petals, and calendula. ... The results, then, are not simply the wonderful scents and refreshing lathers of soaps made the natural way. The results are nothing short of beautiful ... which is what we noticed when we first saw Lynne's soaps while visiting for our Thanksgiving issue feature on The Gallery Upstairs in Hinesburg. "I don't wrap my soaps, " Lynne confides. "I like to see them, and I like other people to see them." But, since some folks have asked why she doesn't, she's now considering wrapping "some of them," or, alternatively, to put a hemp or other string tie on.
Lynne's repeat customers are usually impressed not only by the rich lather, however. "A lot of them tell me they really like how long my soaps last," she says. The results don't quite stop there, either. As we noted at the outset, Lynne is expanding her craft to include liquid soaps, as well as body lotions, lip balms, and more. She is also now making gift baskets, themselves small works of art, with various mixes of all her wares. Where to See the Work: We invite you to peruse a small sampling of Lynne's art in this month's DownStreet Gallery. ... Unfortunately, at least in a case like this, as much as the internet can bring to us, scents and aromas are not among the options. So, Lynne's work is something you not only ought to see at first hand; we always recommend that you do for all our featured artists. But, in this case, the art & craft of "The Soap Lady" is something you have to hold, sniff, and delight in, as well. ... Lynne's soaps are currently on sale at The Gallery Upstairs in Hinesburg. She is also planning on being at the Richmond Farmers Market again this summer, and is considering expanding to both Waterbury and Montpelier. Of course, you can get hold of Lynne directly by calling or e-mailing her at her home workshop: ******* *******
Review by Lou Colasanti .. . ******* ******* If you know of any artists or craftsmen/-women whose work you think deserves attention, don't hesitate to let us know. Simply e-mail us at arts@downstreetmagazine.com. ... And just in case you were wondering,
self-promotion is acceptable. ... If you would like to advertise in this section, or throughout the magazine, please visit our Advertising Info Pages ... or call, write, or e-mail ads@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* ******* . |
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